Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

Juvenile biography
"Soon after he arrived, Frederick saw Sophia Auld, the mistress
of the house, teaching her children to read. He wanted to learn too.
Seeing how eager he was, Mrs. Auld started giving him lessons along
with her own children.
But when Hugh Auld found out that his wife was teaching
Frederick to read he objected. 'Teaching a slave to read will make
him unfit to be a slave,' Mr. Auld said."
Well he got that right. It's a darn good thing. Walter Dean
Myers' Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History gives readers
the story of a man born into slavery whose life came to matter
immensely to the world.
Realizing the importance of literacy, Douglass continued his
education, reading anything he could get his hands on. Hired out to
be a caulker at a shipyard, he listened to the adventures of free
blacks and wanted nothing less for himself, especially after he fell
in love with a free black woman. Escaping slaves who were recaptured
were severely punished.
But this is a chance he was willing to take.
His story of determination and daring is one we really need to
learn and be inspired by in today's world.
On a personal note, I can't believe it! I am now the proud owner of
my first smart phone. Yesterday when Eugene got through the night
shift plowing the new snow, we got it at the mall. It's the cat's
pajamas! It's got Internet access, apps, everything. I've set the
weather and figured out how to make a phone call. It's a whole
different world from the flip phone I've been carting around for ages.
The salesperson pleasantly surprised me. Instead of trying to sell me
the priciest model, he asked me what I would use it for and selected a
relatively reasonable one.
Oh, yeah, looks like Maine is going to have a white Christmas! Santa
should be happy. Hey, at least I don't believe in trickle down
economics like one Susan Collins.
A great big shout out go to Eugene and the ethical salesperson.
Our very first big thumbs down EVER goes to Susan Collins and those of
her colleagues who put the interests of the wealthy first, filling
their stockings while leaving lumps of coal (which President Pennywise
wants to promote) for the rest of us. I'd like to know what Frederick
Douglass would think of that.
jules hathaway


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